Ava’s Geranium Easter dress

Did you hear? I was excited to hear my chevron look won last week on Project Run and Play! I’m stoked! Thanks for your votes! Now to go finish up the pics for week 3 and my look for week 4…wish me luck….

So…..last but not least, Ava’s Easter dress! I kept it simple-just and adding a little detail on the front bodice-a faux pleat feature that I’ll show you below…so easy and no altering of the pattern needed!

Fabric: Simply Color-Ikat from Southern Fabric
Pattern: Rae’s Geranium dress

Agh! These moccs...I die every time I see ’em. Especially on them chubby baby feet.

I used some awesome triangular buttons from Lots of Buttons-look for a review on them soon!

Before you ask, no I didn’t make the headband…it was a deal on GroopDealz way back when I was still pregnant with Ava. FORR-EVER ago.

CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP.
Here’s how I did it!
1. Make and sew two pleats an even distance from one another on a piece of fabric (see this tutorial for tips). Then fold over and iron your fabric for two more pleats, one on either side of the others, but don’t sew them just yet. Make sure you have enough fabric tucked under so that the fabric will not come loose.
2. Pin to the middle of the bodice.
3. Trim extra fabric on top and bottom…
4. Then sew down both sides, attaching the faux pleat addition! Continue sewing your bodice up.


Put it on your slightly shocked looking baby and admire.

Comments

  1. Great dress!
    I made one for my youngest ( a little bit different but still based on the geranium-dress!)

    You can watch my version on my blog….
    Toertjes&Pateekes.blogspot.com

    Greetings from Belgium

  2. This is genius! I’ve tried pintucks before and it was so much measuring! This looks so much easier but you cannot tell at all once the dress if finished. Love it ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Congratulations Jess! So glad you got first place–the dress is super cute! And of course your little one is cuddly cute:)

  4. Very smart trick with the pleats! I am inspired to add more details to my sewing, too. Thanks! All of your girls’ Easter dresses look fantastic!

  5. Congratulations on your win, Jessica! I LOVED your beautiful dress you made. It was definitely my favorite!

  6. I clicked on your pictures to get a better look at them but they have two ads over them. Nothing moves so that I can see the cute dress. When I closed the pictures, the ads stayed. How do we get rid of them? I don’t care if you publish this comment if you can let me know privately. Thanks.

  7. Beautiful baby and beautiful dress. Fabulous work on both of them! (ps. I voted for you on PR&P…congrats on the win!)

  8. so cute, both the dress and the baby!

  9. What a beautiful little girl! I love her dress. The color is gorgeous. Did you happen to line her dress?

  10. Beautiful dress and child!

  11. That baby! Ooooo, so adorable!

  12. Aagh! She’s delicious! And you totally made pleats a much easier way than I would’e attempted. Congrats on the win! And semi related I’m super obsessed with the Geranium dress pattern and I happened to get some of the fabric you used for one of Sadie’s geraniums way back when and I was wondering if it would just be too much copycatting if I made the same dress. . . .

  13. So cute! Clever to do faux pleats, I am always holding my breath I adjusted the pattern right for pleats.

  14. What an adorable dress – all of them were, really! And your girls are just gorgeous!!!

  15. Love everything about this outfit…baby most of all.

    AND I am so stinking excited you came in first for last week. Woot! Woot!

  16. Adorable! The baby and the beautiful dress ๐Ÿ™‚

  17. Argh, she is just too adorable. Love the pleated Geranium!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  18. THOSE MOCS!!!

    Too cute. love the pleated detail, that is awesome!! Happy Easter!

  19. The dress is darling, and congratulations on the win! You definitely deserve it. =)

  20. I love everything about this dress, esoecially the color.

  21. Perfect Timing! I cut out two geranium dresses on Monday, and had planned on doing pleats on the tops of both, but forgot to cut extra fabric for that. I realized my mistake immediately after, but I didn’t have enough fabric to cut the tops out again. Later that same day, I saw this tutorial, and so now my dresses have their pleats after all! Thanks for the idea!

  22. the dress is just perfect on her. It really is unfair how cute your babies are ๐Ÿ˜‰

  23. So cute! I adore those buttons!

  24. She is so darn cute. Such pretty blue eyes…and the dress is nice too ๐Ÿ˜‰

  25. LOVE – LOVE – LOVE!!! Really I love everything you make. Thanks for the awesome inspiration ๐Ÿ™‚

Trackbacks

  1. […] example for the bodice accent, I used a pleated detail that I saw on a dress Jessica from Craftiness is not Optional made for her daughter. I think adding the covered buttons helped tie the bodice all together. By the way, I think […]

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